Back in April 2018, the Reserve Bank of India decided to go ahead and issue a notice prohibiting all of India’s banking and financial institutions from offering their services to crypto exchanges, companies operating within the space, and individuals seeking to explore the nascent asset class. Following the ban, India’s crypto ecosystem was brought to its knees, with a majority of operational exchanges either folding up completely or relocating to other nations with more hospitable regulations. Additionally, the notice resulted in digital currencies being maligned across India’s investment landscape, with many casual enthusiasts starting to view the overall sector with …

Malta-based sports blockchain venture Chiliz is launching a cryptocurrency exchange for sports and entertainment tokens. In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Jan. 23, Chiliz detailed that the new exchange — Chiliz.net — will roll out in February after the beginning of Fan Token Offerings for all of the Socios.com partner teams . Socios.com is a tokenized fan-voting platform for sports powered by Chiliz tokens (CHZ). Chiliz.net will be fully integrated with Socios.com, enabling users to transfer their fan tokens from a Socios wallet to the exchange, and vice versa. Chiliz and Socios.com CEO Alexandre Dreyfus claimed that Chiliz.net …

Following the session that took place last August, a three-judge panel from India’s Supreme Court reconvened once again this week to discuss the much-hyped Crypto v. RBI case. During the last hearing, the Supreme Court had asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to clarify its position as to why exactly it enforced a nationwide banking ban on the country’s crypto market, as well as to discuss the seemingly unconstitutional nature of its aforementioned move. Ever since the RBI decided to go ahead and issue its controversial prohibition order, a number of public and industry-led petitions have been filed by …

This week’s news from Japan included additional comments against crypto trading from China, Binance’s potential involvement in Japan, positivity from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), more crypto exits from European Union (EU) regions, and stablecoin positivity from France. Check out some of this week’s crypto and blockchain headlines, originally reported by Cointelegraph Japan. China reaffirms its stance against crypto trading Crypto-hostile China has once again confirmed its ban on crypto asset trading, according to comments from Beijing’s director of Financial Supervisory Administration Huo Xuewen. "Virtual currencies cannot be used as legitimate digital currencies," Huo said to a Chinese news outlet …

This is the final part of a three-part series covering the regulatory landscape for cryptos in 2019 and thinking about the prospects for 2020. The first two parts covered the “Insiders” of Europe, North America and the Pacific Rim, and “Outsider” nations such as China, Russia and India. This piece covers the prospects for the “Experimenters”: countries that have made efforts to foster innovation and welcome crypto projects to their shores. The Experimenters and their different paths into the crypto space The Swiss were the first to discover the power of neutrality in the embattled Europe of the 19th century, …

Malta-based cryptocurrency exchange OKEx has launched Bitcoin (BTC) options trading for a select group of traders ahead of a public launch in January 2020. In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Dec. 26, the exchange — currently ranked third-largest by daily trading volume globally — has indicated that the new contract will be settled daily in Bitcoin (BTC). Diversifying hedging strategies for crypto traders As a popular derivative that enables traders to hedge against asset price swings in either direction, an options contract provides the chance to purchase either a right to buy (a call option) or sell (a …

Maltese government agency supporting business development, Malta Enterprise, signed a memorandum of understanding with Blockchain-as-a-Service service firm T-Systems, parent company Deutsche Telekom announced on Oct 30. Deutsche Telekom launched the Blockchain Ecosystem (GBE) at the end of last month, as reported by Cointelegraph Germany. Now, the Maltese agency will become T-System’s first partner gaining access to the GBE, which can reportedly be used to track a product’s value chain from raw materials to delivery alongside other tools that can facilitate blockchain development. Malta Digital Innovation Authority to certify T-System’s GBE companies The collaboration also includes a planned tech accelerator called …

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has received queries from 21 cryptocurrency exchanges seeking licensure under the Virtual Financial Assets (VFA) Act. 21 firms out of 34 potential VFA providers are crypto exchanges According to an official announcement on Nov. 1, the 21 exchanges are among the 34 prospective VFA service providers that sent their letters of intent to the Maltese financial regulator in order to acquire a VFA Services Licence. The MFSA clarified that, until Oct. 31, crypto providers have been operating under the transitory provisions specified in Article 62 of the VFA Act. In order to continue their …

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has warned of a new Bitcoin (BTC) scam that shares the same characteristics as a previously identified entity. The watchdog issued its warning on Oct. 31. Opportunity for fraud The MSFA cautions the public that an entity dubbed “Bitcoin Future” appears to display “the same deceitful characteristics” as a separate scam, dubbed “Bitcoin Revolution,” for which it has already issued two public warnings this year. The statement notes that such scam operations appear to constantly resurface on the web as adverts, switching their names to avoid detection. Suspicious adverts peddle false slogans such as …

A master’s degree in blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) is now attainable at the University of Malta. Fintech-focused news outlet CrowdfundInsider reported on the creation of the new master’s degree on Oct. 21, also noting that about 35 students are enrolled for the course. Joshua Ellul, director of the master’s program and chairman of Malta Digital Innovation Authority, said during Malta’s DELTA Summit on Oct. 3 that 15 companies have already contacted the students of the course. He also explained the reasoning that brought the program to existence: “We noticed a huge problem between techies and lawyers and business …

Bittrex International, Malta-based international unit of United States’ crypto exchange Bittrex, will cease operations in Venezuela and 30 other countries. No clear reason for the action In an email to Venezuelan customers, Bittrex International announced that the exchange will halt account and trading access to users on Oct. 29, asking them to withdraw their funds with the exchange before that date, Cointelegraph en Español reports on Oct. 19. According to the report, the Malta-based international trading platform of Bittrex has informed its entire user base in Venezuela that it will stop its services for users in the country without citing …

Blockchain technology has proven to be a catalyst of change across a wide variety of industries in the years since Bitcoin’s (BTC) inception in 2009. The subsequent creation of various blockchain projects and alternate cryptocurrencies has shown that blockchain technology can provide innovative changes across a broad spectrum. The worlds of finance, logistics and even law has directly benefited from the various applications of blockchain technology. Another sector that is beginning to embrace its potential benefits is education. Educational institutions are a vital cog in the development of new technology and the industry certainly hasn’t lagged behind in terms of …